BIGG Success is life on your own terms. It means choosing your path, and putting up with all the bumps in the road that come along while on your journey.

If you feel like the road you’re on is getting too bumpy, take some time to listen to the other people in your life. You’ll hear them talk about their bumps too. No path is bump free.

The Bumps Others Face

[Mary-Lynn] One day I was feeling a little beat up as an entrepreneur. The work is never done, and the burden of uncertainty can be incredibly stressful. Sometimes it chips away at my confidence. Then, throughout the week, I heard other people talk about their bumps in the road. It’s not that misery loves company, it just really put things into perspective.

We heard a professional that we admire lament how she loves her job and is very good at it, but she keeps getting passed over for promotion because there seems to be a political line to the top.

A successful entrepreneur talked with us about how she’s having a very hard time getting her team motivated to take initiative.

A close friend was hired by a company to give expert advice, unfortunately he’s frustrated because they won’t implement the ideas he presented to help them grow.

Another friend has to deal with a terrible manager at work who plays head games.

The Value of Your Bumps

The bumps in the road are part of the price. The bumps may be stress, feeling underappreciated, struggling to get others to work as hard as you, the difficulty of getting people to see it your way, or dealing with unqualified managers.

But there’s a reason why you put up with the bumps. There’s something you absolutely love about what you’re doing: the people you get to connect with, the profession, the thoughtful advice you get to offer, the pride of ownership.

When the bumps in the road are slowing you down, realize that you aren’t alone. Think about what really made you choose this path. What makes this worth it for you? What is it that you truly value about the lessons you’re learning along the way? Then tighten up your laces and continue on. It leads to BIGG Success.

We had dinner with a friend recently. He’s an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist. We talked about what sparked the change. He said, “A bad day”.

We can relate. If it weren’t for a bad day in each of our lives, we would have never started BIGG success. We both reached a point, independently and coincidentally at about the same time, where we decided it was time to move on.

When we get really beaten up, when we’ve hit our head against the wall one too many times, when we just can’t take it anymore – that’s the spark for innovation in our lives, in our businesses and for our customers.

BIGG success is life on your own terms. It’s about entrepreneuring your life – taking control to build the life that’s custom designed just for you. Persistence pays in pursuing your dream. But when the right bad day comes, you know it’s time to move on.

You’ll see yourself rising from the ashes of frustration. You’ll the warmth from the flames of hope. Soon the fire in your belly will roar hot again. It’s that fire that will help you reach BIGG success.

Here in the U.S., we’re fortunate that our culture fosters entrepreneurship – probably more today than in generations past. It used to be that entrepreneurs were considered renegades. They were the people nobody would hire so they didn’t have a choice.

Now entrepreneurship is a lifestyle option that even the most qualified people make. So what motivates people to strike out on their own?

Career events

Franchisors often see a spike in demand in an area where layoffs are happening. Sometimes we don’t come to entrepreneurship; it comes to us.

It may be career frustration. Many people start their own business because they’re bored with their current occupation. Perhaps they feel like they’ve topped out. They’ve gone as far as they can in their current career so they decide to start something of their own.

Personal motives

W. Clement Stone, who built an insurance dynasty in the depths of The Great Depression, cites inspirational dissatisfaction as the source for many great achievements.

How do you know you’re ready to start?

Entrepreneuring is a process. Like any process, there has to be a starting point.

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The desire to be my own boss just consumed me. I had this feeling in my gut that I just couldn’t get rid of. I couldn’t stand not owning my own business. This desire just ate me up and spit me out every single day that I wasn’t in business for myself.

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For me, it didn’t seem that the opportunities I needed in my corporate career were there any longer. I just couldn’t get where I wanted to be if I didn’t strike out on my own. It was a very, very difficult decision. It was incredibly emotional. But looking at my industry now, I’m glad I jumped into entrepreneurship when I did. r?

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The battle between two fears

We think it comes down to fear. The general population has an overwhelming fear of failure.

Entrepreneurs have a fear of not trying. They just have to know what would happen if they just tested their bigg idea.

You’re ready to be an entrepreneur when your fear of not trying overcomes your fear of failure.

You reach a point where inaction or delay is just not acceptable any longer. You have to go for it. You have to take your shot at bigg success!

How did you know you were ready to strike out on your own?

Share that with us by leaving a comment below, e-mailing us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com or calling us at 888.455.BIGG (2444).